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More than a million D.C.-area residents (1,053,400, to be exact) are expected to be traveling at least 50 miles on the road, in a plane or on trains and cruise ships this holiday weekend — a record high, AAA said. (By comparison, only 748,500 residents traveled during Memorial Day weekend in 2009.)

“We’re not even counting the people who are traveling less than 50 miles,” said John Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s manager of public and government affairs.

The breakdown locally, per AAA and the transportation analytics company INRIX:

Nearly 939,000 automobile travelers are projected this weekend, an increase of 4.9 percent over last year.

About 85,000 air travelers are anticipated, an increase of 7.5 percent.

Almost 30,000 travelers using other modes are projected, an increase of 1 percent.

It reflects a similar increase nationally, with a projected 41.5 million total travelers — a nearly 5 percent increase over 2017. Over 36 million of those travelers will be hitting the road.

The heavy travel volume is in part due to the area economy’s strength, according to AAA. And it means road travelers will have plenty of time to discuss regional economics.

“Almost every single one of the major arterials in the Washington metro area will be filled to capacity,” Townsend said.

Thursday and Friday evenings’ rush hour (3:30–7 p.m.) will be particularly rough, he said, as travelers hit the road while commuters leave work. Severe congestion is also likely on Monday, of course, as everyone returns home. (A 32-minute trip on westbound U.S. Route 50 toward D.C. could take two hours and 23 minutes Monday evening, according to AAA. Interstates 270 and 95 won’t be much better.)

And don’t assume you can avoid it all by leaving a day early. Call it holiday weekend creep: People try to beat Friday crowds by starting their trip on a Thursday, for example, but then Thursday becomes the new Friday, as WTOP traffic reporter Bob Marbourg explained.

“When everybody has the same plan — whatever that plan is — then we’ve just time-shifted the experience to a different day or different time,” he said.

Adding to the collective travel migraine: Gas prices are expected to be at their most expensive since 2014. Monday’s average price in the D.C. area was $2.90, up 57 cents from last year.

Travel tips

Depressed yet? Cheer up. The destination is still worth the journey, right? Just strategize and set that alarm clock. Townsend recommends traveling at unconventional hours: leaving before 9 a.m. or after 9 p.m., for instance.

On Thursday, Friday, Sunday or Monday, leave before 10 a.m. or after 10 p.m.

On Saturday, leave before 7 a.m. or after 5 p.m.

Travelers in Virginia could also take a look at VDOT’s interactive travel trends map, Marbourg suggested, to get an hour-by-hour idea of how congested the main roads might be this weekend. However, it’s like playing the stock market: Past performance is no indication of future results, he cautioned.

GPS and navigation apps also can’t hurt in that effort to get to Point B, but keep in mind that The Other Guy probably has those tools, too. “The alternate route that your GPS may point you toward probably has a lot of people who’ve gotten the same message,” Marbourg said.

Also, make sure that the car is ready for the trip. Have it checked “from stem to stern” before leaving, Townsend suggested. Flat tires and dead batteries are two of the most common issues that require AAA assistance, he said (along with locking those stupid keys in the car).

In addition, remember to avoid what he calls the four D’s behind the wheel: drunk, drugged, drowsy and distracted. Play it safe so you can have finally some fun at your destination.

WASHINGTON — A section of Maryland 450 in Anne Arundel County will be closed for up to two weeks as crews repair a sinkhole.

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration closed the section of Maryland 450 (Defense Highway) between A and Eagle Boulevard and Windermere Court Tuesday morning. It will remain closed until two 5-foot diameter pipes can be excavated and replaced.

“Crews will work throughout the day and night to expedite repairs,” the department’s District 5 Engineer Corren Johnson said in a release. “The road will be closed for up to two weeks. Both lanes will be closed 24 hours a day, allowing contractors to complete these emergency road repairs.”

Westbound Maryland 450 drivers will be directed to a detour route which includes Housley Road to Maryland 178 to Crownsville Road and back to Maryland 450. Eastbound Maryland 450 drivers will use Crownsville Road to Maryland 178 to Housley Road and back to Maryland 450.

WASHINGTON — Jayhawk Street and Ravensworth Road meet just off Little River Turnpike in Annandale, Virginia. It used to be just like any other typical busy intersection in Northern Virginia.

But not anymore.

The junction is being used to stage a local example of a Virginia Department of Transportation pilot program for a “modular mini roundabout.”

Construction crews started work on the roundabout on May 17, and it will take about three weeks to complete the installation of the materials, which include recycled plastic bottles.

Right now, orange barrels and markings on the street are the only evidence of the project. But crews will work 12 hour shifts, six days a week, to complete the new traffic control system. Drivers are asked to take care driving through the area, nor the normal road speeds will be reduced while construction is going on.

Once in place, VDOT and the Federal Highway Administration will study the new roundabout to see if it does what it promises, and that is to provide “safety and traffic benefits to Annandale residents and drivers,” said Helen Cuervo, the state’s Northern District engineer.

If programs like this one in Annandale probe to be successful, the highway administration could put similar roundabouts in locations where “safety and congestion improvements are needed quickly,” said Dr. Wei Zhang, an intersection safety research engineer with the FHWA.

VDOT said each day, about 13,000 vehicles use Ravensworth Road, with another 2,600 per day crossing on Jayhawk Street. VDOT chose the intersection because of the traffic throughput, its closeness to a major artery, the width of the well as existing roadway and the chance to manage a bike lane and pedestrian crossings.

Tom Folse, a traffic engineer with VDOT, called it “an ideal location for the pilot.”

A mini roundabout has a smaller footprint, but works the same way as others in the region. VDOT reminds drivers to yield to traffic already in the circle nor they approach.

If successful, the mini roundabout should provide a “safer driving, biking and walking experience for Ravensworth Road users,” said Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross. Learn more about the project on VDOT’s website.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Montgomery County, Maryland, and Loudoun County, Virginia, until 6:15 p.m.

WASHINGTON — Monday’s severe weather has begun to make its way into the D.C. area, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and hail.

Tornado warnings were issued for Montgomery County, Maryland, and Loudoun County, Virginia, after a tornado was cited near Purcellville, Virginia.

Severe thunderstorm warnings were also issued for portions of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for the D.C. area until 9 p.m. Monday.

Damaging winds will be the primary threat from the storms, with some as strong as 60–70 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Flash flooding and hail are also possible, with reports of tennis-ball-size hail falling in West Virginia. Numerous trees were also reported down in the Shenandoah Valley.

Looking at the latest time for these storms to push through the region. Expect it after 6pm or so in the Greater Washington area….storms are moving about 35mph-40mph. STRONG winds (65mph+), flash flooding possible too. pic.twitter.com/Od12Q0u3PE

Maryland State Police have tripled their traffic enforcement along U.S. 301 in Prince George’s County during the first quarter of 2018. File. (Maryland State Police/Facebook)

WASHINGTON — Maryland State Police are stepping up traffic enforcement on U.S. Route 301 in Prince George’s County in an attempt to reduce injuries and fatalities from crashes on the highway.

State troopers made 1,722 traffic stops during the first quarter of 2018 compared to 543 in the first quarter of 2017, according to a news release from Maryland State Police.

Police have also issued 830 citations, 649 warnings and arrested 15 impaired drivers during the first three months of 2018 compared 398 citations, 223 warnings and 19 arrests of impaired drivers during the same time frame last year.

WASHINGTON — A man died after a hit-and-run in Northeast D.C. early Monday morning.

Police responded to the 1300 block of New York Avenue in Northeast D.C. around 1 a.m. and found a body in the eastbound lanes just before 1 a.m. The victim, a possibly homeless man, had noticeable head trauma, police said.

A striking vehicle fled the scene after the incident, and police are canvasing the area for help in locating the driver.

The crash and its investigation closed New York Avenue for several hours. It reopened a little after 4:45 a.m.

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